In today’s world video games are everywhere. When our students are not in school, they are most likely gaming.A whole industry of Let’s Play videos have taken over YouTube. It is hard to image that 31 years ago, it very much appeared that the medium of video games was dead.

The first and second generations of video games were dominated by Atari. Although innovative, Atari had very little quality control mechanisms in place. In 1983, Atari released a licensed video game version of E.T. It was supposed to be the ultimate Christmas present. Instead, it was a disappointment that saw millions of copies returned to the stores in a week. The failure of this high profile of a game caused a massive market crash that endangered the video game industry and nearly bankrupted Atari.

The industry remained in trouble until 1985. That was the year the Nintendo Entertainment System came out. It was fun to play, had novel games, and boasted quality control that made sure every experience was a good one. It saved the video game industry. My older sister Katie received her Nintendo the year it came out. As a child I loved playing with it. It was my introduction to a whole new world of video gaming.

The best part about these systems is that they were built to last. My 1985 Nintendo worked until 2010.Even though it has not worked in 6 years, I have never been able to bring myself to get rid of it. For this project, I began looking into the feasibility of repairing it.

As part of the research into this idea, I came across several sources that stated that most problems with the Nintendo were caused by a part known as the 72 pin connector.It is the part that connects the game cartridge to the system. After 31 years of use, it is prone to rusting. I have discovered that these parts are cheap and easily replaced. I have found two sources with two different methods on how to fix the 72 pin connector.

The first source describes how to clean and repair the Nintendo without replacing the part. I am not sure if this source qualifies for this assignment as it is on a blog and not necessarily a help forum.

The second source i have found is a YouTube video by the user quickfreeze4. that shows me how to replace the part. I am planning on using this video.

I will check back in a few weeks to update everyone on how this is going!